We take a look at the SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD – Performance at a bargain price.
Can this SandForce SF-2281 based SSD with toggle mode NAND compete with state of the art offerings from other SSD manufacturers?

Let’s find out in this review.

We take a look at the SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD – Performance at a bargain price.
Can this SandForce SF-2281 based SSD with toggle mode NAND compete with state of the art offerings from other SSD manufacturers?

SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD Review – Performance at a bargain price

It's always nice to get something a little different to
review, as it makes life interesting. The SanDisk Extreme SSD range is somewhat
different from the usual run of the mill SSDs. At its heart is the familiar SandForce
SF-2281 SSD processor, but SanDisk has kitted this SSD out with its own 24nm
Toggle mode MLC NAND. Toggle mode NAND is quite similar to DDR2 memory, in that
you can get up to twice the data throughput.

Manufacturers will almost always send you the fastest SSD in
their range for review, and for SandForce based SSDs, the fastest models are
the 240GB versions. The SanDisk Extreme range of SSDs come in three different
capacities. 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB.

SanDisk was kind enough to send me a review sample of their
Extreme series of SSDs, in actual fact the 120GB version. In this review I will
be taking a look at the performance, and stability of this new range of SSDs.

It's exciting to get hold of an SSD for testing that has a
capacity and price that is most likely to end up as an system drive in a mainstream
PC, and that capacity is most likely to be a 120GB model rather than 240GB, or
480GB versions. The downside of this is the SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD is going
to have to go head to head with larger capacity SSDs in our range of tests,
which will set the SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD at a disadvantage regarding
performance. So I ask you to keep this in mind when reading this review.

So, let’s find out how this new SSD performs in our range of
tests.

SanDisk company information

SanDisk should need no introduction, but for those of you
who would like to find out more about SanDisk, you can do so at their website.

The SanDisk Extreme series 120GB SSD

Now it’s time to take a look at the drive itself and what it
came shipped with.

Packaging

Box front

Box rear

Inside the box

The package contained the SanDisk Extreme series 120GB SSD, and
that is basically all you get. There is no 2.5 inch to 3.5 inch converter bracket,
although you do get an installation guide (not shown), and warranty
information.

SanDisk Extreme - 120GB SSD

The top of the SanDisk Extreme case is made from a strong
metal.

Drive underside

The underside of the drive we can see the SATA power and
data connectors, and four drive mounting holes. We can also see the drive's
model and serial number, and that the drive was manufactured in China on the
first of February 2012. The bottom of the case is also made from strong metal.

Now let's head to the next page, where we look in more
detail at the SanDisk Extreme SSD.....